Rampant cable theft: AbaQulusi Municipality has a plan
"These are not petty thieves. This is an organised syndicate, armed with effective tools and an understanding of how electricity works."
CABLE theft is a crime that affects everyone and was recently described by AbaQulusi’s Municipal Manager, Bonga Ntanzi as the “wanton destruction of infrastructure”.
How then, should a municipality seek to deliver a service to a community in growing and unrelenting demand of service delivery, when criminals strike maliciously to destroy what has been built? Ntanzi, as always, has a plan…
“Firstly,” he urges, in reference the cable theft quandary, “the police need to up their game. These are not petty thieves. This is an organised syndicate, armed with effective tools and an understanding of how electricity works.
ALSO READ: VIDEO: Surge in cable theft leads to blackouts in Vryheid
There were theories that electricians, who have been suspended by the municipality, were behind these activities, but I don’t want to buy into that theory…”
With regard to the issue of replacing damaged infrastructure, Ntanzi plans to replace the existing infrastructure with copperless cable.
“The electrical and water infrastructure is currently at a level that is difficult to maintain,” he admits. “But a business plan has been submitted to the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) in October 2018…”
ALSO READ: AbaQulusi Mayor urges community to stand together against cable theft
The DBSA, for those unfamiliar with the term, provides planning, financing and implementation support to municipalities in sectors that include water and sanitation, electricity, roads and houses.
Will Bonga Ntanzi be the man to head the fight against AbaQulusi’s infrastructure issues?
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